The CAF World Giving Index is based on information from over a hundred countries, representing more than 90% of the world’s adult population.
A record number of people donated money to charities or assisted strangers in 2021, according to new research.
The World Giving Index score for 2021 stands at 40%, marking the largest-ever annual gain of five percent, suggesting that philanthropy remains popular despite the pandemic’s impact on the economy.
The annual report by Gallup Inc analysts, assesses generosity using three cross-cultural charitable behaviours: monetary donations, helping a stranger, and volunteer work.
For each of the three index measures, participation and donation levels rose significantly. Despite seeing an initial three-year long reduction in 2018, high-income countries make up the majority of the global increase.
The rate of donations increased by 10% in high-income countries, compared to 4% worldwide. The report also showed that 200 million more people gave to charities in 2021 than they did in the previous year.
With an 8% increase from 55% in 2021, helping a stranger remained the most common giving behaviour.
The index’s most recent edition gathered information from 119 countries, with Qatar excluded from the data.
Other notable results revealed that Indonesia has overtaken Kenya as the world’s most giving nation for the fifth year in a row. Kenya is followed by the US, Australia, and New Zealand.
The report placed the UK as the 17th most charitable nation in the world and rated fifth among those with the largest percentage of citizens who gave to charity in the previous year.
Last year, more individuals than ever (62%) reported helping a stranger, the greatest percentage since 2009. Earlier reports suggest this increase was due to covid-relief efforts. The top 10 nations for assisting a stranger, with the exception of the United States, are from Africa and South and Central America.
The first year of the pandemic saw a general boost in scores for low-and middle-income countries, with significant increases in 2021, most notably for volunteering and assisting a stranger.
